George Zimmerman claims he was working security at DeLand’s Pompano Pat’s

Tuesday

Jul 29, 2014 at 10:56 AMJul 29, 2014 at 11:19 PM

By Patricio G. Balonapatricio.balona@news-jrnl.com

DELAND — George Zimmerman, the man acquitted last July in the shooting death of a teen in Sanford, was spotted outside the business of a DeLand mayoral candidate after hours earlier this week, and told police he was working night security.A DeLand police officer on patrol spotted Zimmerman’s pickup parked on the property of Pompano Pat’s, a motorcycle dealership and gun shop owned by candidate Pat Johnson, on Monday about 12:30 a.m., Sgt. Chris Estes said.“He said he had permission from Pat Johnson to do night security but our officers could not make contact with Pat Johnson to verify that so we did an information report,” Estes said.Pat Johnson was not at the store Tuesday morning. His gun sales manager said Zimmerman is not affiliated with the shop, adding that the sighting is a publicity stunt to smear Johnson’s campaign for mayor. “George Zimmerman is not an employee of the business and he is not getting paid in any way, shape or form by Pompano Pat’s,” Sam Porter said.Zimmerman told police he and Johnson had been friends “for a period of time” and he was watching the business due to a recent burglary. Zimmerman said Johnson had requested he leave his dog inside the business, and Zimmerman offered to wait in the parking lot with his dog. Zimmerman also “went on to speak with us about the relationship with Mr. Johnson and the dog,” officers wrote in their reports.Pompano Pat’s was burglarized some time overnight July 9, police said.Porter said he was aware that Zimmerman was outside the store Sunday but could not make any statements beyond that.He referred further questions to Johnson.In a dashboard camera recording, Zimmerman told officers that he was watching the business and “was doing it as a friend.”Zimmerman said he stayed with his dog so he could keep an eye on the business. He told police that he will be doing nighttime security for an “indeterminate” time, police wrote in their report.Asked if police made efforts to contact Johnson after Sunday to confirm whether he asked Zimmerman to watch his business, Estes said no crime occurred so there was no need to follow up.After the burglary, police were doing nightly checks at the shop and that’s how “officers happened upon Mr. Zimmerman,” Estes said.“It’s up to Johnson to respond to questions as to whether he asked Zimmerman to be there,” Estes said.Pompano Pat’s spokesman Tim Franklin said in a statement faxed to The Daytona Beach News-Journal on Tuesday afternoon that the reports and allegations that Zimmerman was hired or working as a night watchman at the business are false and are “nothing more than a negative political campaign stunt” intended to hurt Johnson’s run for mayor of DeLand. “ANY and ALL reports made to the media or other agencies that Pompano Pat’s or its Corporate President Pat Johnson hired George Zimmerman as a ‘Security Guard or Night Watchman’ are 100% false. Our company and its founders learned of his recent sighting from mass media reports,” Franklin wrote.“Our company and its founders were appalled and disgusted to learn a politician would use the death of a 17-year-old to further their political career,” Franklin wrote. “This stunt establishes an all new low in Florida Politics.”On Feb. 26, 2012, Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot black teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford. The case drew national attention and drew accusations of racial bias because Zimmerman, whose lineage is white and Hispanic, was not initially charged. Zimmerman was acquitted on July 13, 2013, by a jury in his trial on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. The case attracted international attention.Johnson is challenging incumbent Mayor Bob Apgar in the Aug. 26 election. Reached Tuesday afternoon, Apgar said Franklin’s statement is confusing to him.“As I understand it, there is a video of the officers’ discussion with Mr. Zimmerman that has been made public,” Apgar said. “Mr. Zimmerman made statements to police that would indicate he was there with my opponent’s knowledge.“I am just perplexed, that with such a video out there, that someone can think someone can fabricate something relative to this encounter with Mr. Zimmerman by police who were on patrol,” Apgar said.DeLand police Deputy Chief Randel Henderson sent out a statement Tuesday afternoon saying, “Every indication illustrates that Mr. Zimmerman was at the store with the knowledge of the owner.”A video was released by DeLand police. In low-volume, only the voices of Zimmerman and an officer can be heard and neither can be seen.Zimmerman, in the video, referred to his friendship with Johnson. The DeLand business owner made an overture to him last year after Zimmerman’s acquittal.Johnson offered in July 2013 to replace the gun that authorities had seized from Zimmerman in the Martin case as evidence. Johnson was going to give Zimmerman a Kel-Tec PF-9 for free.At the time, Johnson told The News-Journal “the violence needs to end” and that his offer to give a gun was neither racially nor politically motivated, and was not a publicity stunt. Johnson said at the time that after he made the offer he received death threats.Zimmerman, in the video released Tuesday, while talking to the officer made reference to Johnson: “Unfortunately, Pat got a lot of heat for giving me a gun. It’s all over the papers, this relationship with me and Pat.”